Tag: healthy living

Indulging a bit much lately? Well no one likes a hangover. It sets you back on being productive and just makes us feel miserable actually.

As a yoga practitioner, I find the best way to cure a hangover besides sleeping it off it is to do some easy yoga poses to help accelerate the recovery process.

Here are my tips to cure a hangover right at home.

Corpse pose: Who does not like this pose? All we want to do when we are hungover is to lie down as it makes us feel better. Lying on your back helps with this because it also reduces headaches and tension. Do use a pillow or folded blankets to support your head in this position, close your eyes, breathe and melt into your mat.

Child’s pose: This is one position I get into when I have a headache or feel tensed in general. Relaxing into this position helps calm the nervous system and regulates blood pressure especially after a night out.

Seated half spinal twist: If you feel alright to sit up in a comfortable crossed-legged position, place one hand behind you on the mat close to you right spine. Place the other hand on your knee for support and twist in the opposite direction. Close your eyes and breathe.

If you are lying down, draw one knee into your chest and pull across your body. Use your opposite hand as a support and extend your other arm to the side. Turn toward the direction on the extended arm. Breathe deeply and close your eyes and melt into your mat.

Both these twists in general are great for detoxing, gets rid of toxins and aids in digestion and helps reduce bloating. It also stretches and energizes your spine and cleanses internal organs.

Legs up against the wall: One of my favourites. This particular asana one helps in lowering blood pressure, relieves headaches and tension. Do use a firm pillow or blankets as a support below back and relax from head to toe.

Standing forward bend: This one seems like effort, but it helps regulate blood pressure especially after a night of drinking. It also helps with stress and a stuffy head, and all the symptoms we experience during a hangover.

Do all these poses / asanas for about 3 – 5 minutes each. Focus on your breath and really relax. At the end of it, hydrate hydrate hydrate and maybe have a turmeric infused latte if you can. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that helps reduce inflammation. I also like to take some extra antioxidants from Astavita.sg that contain astaxanthin, which also have anti-inflammatory properties to help speed up the process. You will be saying goodbye to your hangover in no time if you follow these tips.

Hope these tips and tricks help you as much as they help me.

Good luck.

Namaste,

Mona Gill

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

If you find yourself sitting at the desk all day at work despite the daily lunch and tea breaks, time to get the blood flowing more to loosen stiff joints and relieve pain and reduce physical stress on your body.

All you need is a few minutes and do them a few times throughout your day and all can be done right at your desk or while standing up.

Legs – Sit up straight on your chair, stretch your legs out in front of you with a slight bend at the knees. Lean back and relax and continue to hold your legs out. Repeat this a few times or as many times as you want to. This movement actually delays the onset of arthritis and also loosens stiff joints from sitting all day.

Reach behind your knees and with gentle pressure gently massage the back of your knees. This helps release pressure and helps in circulation.

2) Digestion – You would not think this easy movement works wonder but it does train hand muscles and aids digestion. Sitting straight up in your chair or standing up, clench your fist and gently pat on your abdomen and lower back. Simple as that to kickstart your digestion!

3) Arms – You can do this while sitting or standing. Have your arms straight out in front of you. Clench your fist, hold that and then slowly release and repeat that about 10-12 times. On your last count, while still having your hands in a gentle fist, lightly pat on your shoulders and arms. This helps with blood circulation especially if you are on the laptop / computer all day.

4) Neck – hold the back of your head and place your thumbs right at the two pressure points at the back of your neck and gently massage in circular motions for a few minutes. That helps release muscle tension and reduce headaches.

5) Lower Back – Place you hands on your hips and have your thumbs resting on your lower back. Gently massage in circular motions for a few minutes to help release lower back pressure.

These few exercises are simple enough to do anywhere anytime even at home. Suitable for both the young and old. So, give it a go!

Namaste,

Mona G

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

Do you feel stiff upon waking up sometimes? Most of us usually spring out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off! How about taking a few minutes upon waking up to stretch your body, especially your upper body, to really get into those tight areas. I guarantee you’ll feel more refreshed, less tired and less stiff.

The most important point to remember is your breath. Your breath is vital as you stretch, as the fuller your breath, the deeper you stretch and wake up these tight areas.

So here are 5 basic yoga poses you can do in bed for upper body mobility.

1) Side body stretch – Sit up, both hips on your bed. Try to not let one hip left as you stretch. Raise your hands up and then gently stretch from one side to another creating space between your ribs as you breathe deeper into your pose.

2) Seated Twist – Seated in comfortable crossed-legged position, place one hand on the opposite knee and the other hand behind your spine. Inhale and feel yourself grow tall and as you exhale, twist. It is important to remember to initiate this twist from your belly. Repeat on the other side.

3) Chest Stretch – One of my favourites! Seated in a comfortable crossed legged position, interlace your fingers behind you, palms together as this keeps the stretch in an active state. Arc you back and puff out your chest. Inhale and exhale in this position. I like to move my arms side to side or up and down if am feeling more flexible that day.

4) Triceps Stretch – With your arms overhead, draw your elbows up towards the ceiling as you inhale and feel the stretch all the way from the sides of your body and your shoulders. Remember to consciously try to draw your shoulders away from your ears during this stretch.

5) Seated Cat-cow / Back stretch – Interlace your fingers together in front of you pressing your palms together. Round your back as much as you can and lower your chin into your chest as you breathe in. As you breathe out, face your palms away from you and arch your back. Do this several times. Move your arms up and down if you are move flexible. This helps create space through your back.

These basic yoga stretches will kick start your day and also awaken your body. All you need is 10-15 minutes and the best part is that you can do it right in the comfort of your bed.

Go ahead and give it a go and hope you enjoy!

Namaste

Mona G

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

The moment that most of us come home after a long and hard day at work, we tend to want to do nothing more than to sit on the couch and relax in front of the television.

But in order to successfully unwind the body after a hectic day, flopping yourself down on the sofa or couch is not the way to go.

This is because sitting on the couch is being lazy. And more often than not, you will find that sitting on the couch and being lazy makes you feel even more lethargic, instead of putting you in a relaxed state.

Instead unwinding and truly relaxing the body in order to de-stress, is all about finding an equilibrium or re-balance.

This can be achieved through activities that involve movement or breathing, such as yoga, meditation, swimming or running, or simply about completely switching off our minds and achieving mindfulness.

Personally, I find that running is a great way for me to de-stress myself. It may be hard to drag myself out and go for a run at the beginning, but once I start running, I usually feel great – much more so than if I had chosen to sit around and be lazy.

But if you don’t wish to take up running, here are some other ways that you can de-stress yourself.

Create a peaceful space

Turning off the technology and creating a peaceful space with your favourite songs is a great way to relax and completely unwind your body.

Leave your work in the office

Do not bring your work home, no matter how important it may be. This only adds to your stress levels. Instead, leave your work in the office.

And if there is a pressing issue that you need to deal with, write it down on a Post-It paper and stick this to your office desk so that you can follow up with it the next day when you return to the office.

Observe your surroundings

Getting closer to your surroundings and to nature, such as by taking an evening walk at the nearby park, is also a great way to unwind your body.

In Singapore there are no shortage of parks, with nearly every neighbourhood and housing estate probably having access to one, so this could also be an option when you come home after work and are feeling particularly exhausted and drained.

Meditation

Finding a peaceful corner of your house, closing your eyes, finding your breath and simply meditating, is a great way to unwind as well. Once you are able to find that ‘Zen’ moment within yourself, then you will find that you’ll feel much more relaxed and stress-free.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

We all know that we cannot eliminate cellulite but we can definitely reduce the appearance of it. I for one have cellulite and I embrace it as it almost forces me to maintain a healthy lifestyle through movement and healthy food choices. So here are my tips on how I deal with cellulite.

Yoga

Practicing yoga helps in reducing the appearance of cellulite through movement. Moving from pose to pose or asanas helps increase circulation to those areas where thereis is cellulite . For me it’s especially important for me to pay attention to movements pertaining to my lower body as that’s where I would typically have cellulite. Cellulite tends to hang out in areas that have less blood circulation. Therefore poses or asanas such as standing twist / seated twists / twisted triangle/ chair pose with a twist helps increase the blood flow thus reducing the appearance of cellulite over time if you are consistent in your practice.

Healthy habits

Of course some healthy habits should be incorporated daily.

Drinking more water than you think you should as it really does improve your skin’s elasticity.

Fresh fruits, vegetables and antioxidants should be another staple. I take Healthy Living Antioxidants from Astavita.sg daily. Use my code ‘MKGLIFE ‘ for your 20 percent discount if you order now!

So bottom line is pay attention to what you eat, drink and do on a daily basis.

Overall if we have cellulite we can’t get rid of it but we can definitely reduce its appearance through some healthy lifestyle choices. Incorporate yoga and movement and it will help break down these stubborn fat deposits!

Hope this helps.

Namaste

Mona Gill

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

1) It brings awareness especially to your breathing. I preach it when I teach and it truly does get rid of toxicity and negative emotions, increases energy and decreases your stresses especially at that point in time.

2) 30 days straight because it is a commitment to yourself for yourself and gets you out of your comfort zone. I always say we need to get uncomfortable to get comfortable.

3) It teaches you to be kind to yourself and you do not have to get into the perfect posture. But do set the intention as eventually you will get there. Accept your perfect imperfections as it is more important to show up at your mat and not how you look during a pose as we are all different.

4) Definitely helps with pain management especially for those with back issues and I for one can vouch for that as after I had my baby my back was in so much pain and practicing often helped with pain management rather quickly. But of course do check with your doctor prior to practicing and do it with caution.

5) Elevates your mood and increases energy and even changes the way you carry yourself.

Basically anything that you do consistently for more than 21 days, you will see and notice the changes in your mind set and body.

So try some basic yoga and poses everyday for 30 days to receive and notice the maximum benefits even if it is in the comfort of your own home for 10 – 15 minutes and gradually increase your time. By the end of the 30 days your body will thank you and it will be addictive.

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

If you have been following me on Instagram stories you’ll know that I moved apartments after New Year and am still in the process of unboxing and setting up, on top of being a busy mommy to my almost 4-year-old daughter. During the moving process, I packed all my makeup and sealed the box shut. Believe it or not I still have not gotten to it yet! So with the busy rushed mornings and scheduling meetings in between and teaching yoga, I had to come up with a look that did not require too much hassle and searching for products in the mornings, at least till I have fully settled in.

I came up with a look using just a blush and a highlight palette that I had been sitting out. Super easy to do and looks fresh. Here are the steps as to how I achieve this overall look in minutes!

3) Light foundation or BB cream. My skin has been a little dry of late so I am currently using a BB cream from Sephora to keep my skin dewy.

4) Conceal where needed.

5) Fill your brows in lightly.

6) Dab on a blush of your choice onto your cheeks and eyelids, then add some on your nose to give it some dimension.

7) Add some highlight to your nose and inner corner of your eyes. My current favorite is a no-brand name drug store product or if you want to go high end, Becca cosmetics Champagne pop is my number one favourite!

8) A touch of gloss on your lips.

9) Finish off your look with some mascara!

This look has been my “go to” literally every day and if I need switch it up for the evening I add a darker lip hue to it! Less is definitely more.

Follow me on instagram @mkglife and check out my website @monaartistry.com for more makeup inspiration.

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

Let’s face it! Leg day is always the hardest workout to get through. I always have to balance it out with some cardio, weights and yoga. In yoga we tend to focus a lot on core strength that we neglect the importance of a strong foundation which comes from our lower body, our legs.

This is such a dynamic and powerful pose. It definitely burns and the weight in the legs is supposed to be evenly distributed to the front bent leg and extended back leg. The challenge is holding your upper body at an extended side angle. It is important to stay engaged in your legs and also your core.

One of my favourites. This pose is all about strengthening your quads. It is important to engage your thighs inner and outer to stabilize the muscle.

This requires core stability as well as it is all connected. Your torso should be directly on top of your hips. We should not lean to either side in this pose. Sit low into this pose and evenly distribute the weight into both legs extending the arms out to either side of the room.

5) Warrior l (Virabhadrasana l)

This is also a quad strengthening dynamic asana. It requires you to square your hips to the front and it is a great hip stretch when you extend your back leg on the mat. Powerful pose / asana that requires lower body stability.

So here are my 5 favourite asanas to incorporate into your practice during a leg day. Until next time!

Namaste,

Mona Gill

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

Many believe that training to run faster is simply all about smashing yourself and piling on the miles. But this is not the way to go; if you want to run fast and be injury free, smashing yourself before the body can cope with the stress only increases your chance of injury and will likely sideline you from running for an extended period. Here are some quick tips that you can follow to run faster, and stay injury free at the same time.

Develop your aerobic base

Having a strong aerobic base helps you to improve your speed and stamina in the long run. To develop your aerobic base, what you need to do is to do most of your runs at your aerobic base level. For most people, the easiest way to calculate this is the (180 minus your age) heart rate formula developed by Phil Maffetone. Invest in a heart rate monitor and run for as long as you can, at the pace corresponding to this heart rate. As your aerobic base becomes stronger, you will find that you can run at a faster pace at this same heart rate. It will take time but you will eventually reap the rewards if you are consistent with your training.

Run on hills

Hills are a great way to build strength and stamina. Thus, to run faster, you will need to incorporate hills into your regular training programme. To run hills, stay relaxed and keep your gaze straight ahead of you as you are going uphill. Do not keep looking down at the ground. When you are running downhill, avoid leaning back and breaking with your quads. Allow yourself to relax and take the downhills slowly to allow your heart rate to recover.

Strength Training

Body weight strength training is a great way to build your body and develop your strength so that you can become a faster and stronger runner. You don’t need to lift weights though. Some of the most common strength training exercises that you may want to consider includes squats, lunges and planking. These workouts are great in terms of helping to engage the core muscles, which are fundamental for running and maintaining a good posture when you are pounding the pavements or the trails.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

We are all busy people who have to juggle work, school and family on a daily basis. Sometimes 24 hours a day doesn’t seem enough to get everything in – and have the time to exercise as well. But fret not. Here are some tips to fit in an exercise routine daily.

Run or walk to work

Rather than taking the train or the bus to work, why not run from home to work? In this way, you are not only getting a daily exercise session done, but at the same time you are also heading to work – kill two birds with one stone. Sometimes running to work may be able to save some time too, as you are avoiding the peak hour traffic jams. And it saves you transport money and also saves the environment (especially if you trade driving for running). Besides running, you can also choose to cycle to work. Alternatively, if you do not have the stamina to go the whole way, you can park your car further away from the office or get off a bus stop earlier than usual, and simply walk or run the remaining distance.

Wake up to exercise
Setting your alarm clock half an hour earlier will give you that much needed exercise time. And thanks to the endorphins that exercise provides, this will ensure that you will feel refreshed and be raring to go for the workday ahead.

Work out during lunch break
Instead of that one hour lunch break being used to chitchat with colleagues and catch up on each other’s social lives, why not fit in a gym class or go for a walk or a short run? This will give you the much-needed exercise time that you need (no pun intended).

Make exercise into a social outing
Why not turn your workout session into an outing? For example, if you are catching up with your friends, why not go for a run or a walk at the park, instead of simply having brunch together? This will ensure you are keeping yourself fit and at the same time, you can still have that catch up or chat with your friends.

Work out at the television
The commercial breaks during your favourite television shows are a great time to work out. Instead of simply sitting down and munching on popcorn, why not do core exercises like squats, lunges and planks in front of the television when waiting for the programme to start?

Well there you have it, 5 neat ways to ‘squeeze’ time in for a work out during different times of the day. The bottom line is, you can work out practically anywhere, anytime, it just takes a bit of effort and creativity.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner